Executive Summary: In 2005, labour relations laws regulated 32.0 percent of workforce in Canada and 13.7 percent of workers in the United States. Numerous studies have examined aspects of labour relations laws, such as certification, decertification, and union security laws, and their effects on the labour market. However, very few have focused on union disclosure requirements.

Disclosure laws regulate the quality and quantity of financial information that affected organizations must make public. Public disclosure of this information allows interested parties to guage the financial health and performance of organizations. In addition, the accordant transparency that comes from disclosure serves to improve the governance of organizations.

Union transparency is important for two reasons. First, transparency enables workers to make more informed decisions about their preference for collective representation. Second, transparency leads to and is essential for accountability. Disclosing financial information publicly allows workers and interested parties alike to determine the appropriateness, effectiveness, and efficacy of union spending.

How much money to unions deal with? I know they are big business, just the Ontario teachers pension plan is $19 billion or so. Are the union books really secret in Canada?

PS. I wonder if the membership would be happy if it turns out Ford is laying people off, and millions are being spent by the union bosses boycotting Israel? Just a hypothetical, rhetorical, silly question.

AFAIK, corporations in most western nations are required by law to open their books to government officals and shareholders, and they're certainly accountable to both if they fail to do so or try to 'cook the books'.

It probably wouldn't take me too long to find out how Canadian Tire is spending it's cash - CAW on the other hand, would likely be impossible.

One area which would be very nice to deal with is the political activity of unions, especially during elections. During our most recent provincial election here in BC, there was more advertising by unions than all political parties put together. Overwhelmingly negative advertising since they carefully didn't endorse any particular party, just slagged the incumbent party. Politics is polarized enough. Do we need unelected third parties stirring the pot too?

I know Conservatives and unions are supposed to be mortal enemies and all, however, suggesting that any private organization has to adhere to some kind of standard is not necessarily the best way to go about it. Obviously, accountability and transparency should be important to union members and they do have AGMs and the like where they can suggest these things.

But any steps taken to regulate the behaviour of unions and force them to be judged as if they were government entities moves them from the realm of the private and into the public as we saw happen with political parties with the new accountability measures in the past couple of parliaments. This is not ideal.

Unions are private organizations who should be accountable to their members but there is no reason for them to be accountable to anyone else.

I know Conservatives and unions are supposed to be mortal enemies and all, however, suggesting that any private organization has to adhere to some kind of standard is not necessarily the best way to go about it. Obviously, accountability and transparency should be important to union members and they do have AGMs and the like where they can suggest these things.

But any steps taken to regulate the behaviour of unions and force them to be judged as if they were government entities moves them from the realm of the private and into the public as we saw happen with political parties with the new accountability measures in the past couple of parliaments. This is not ideal.

Unions are private organizations who should be accountable to their members but there is no reason for them to be accountable to anyone else.

Problem is that Unions are given special priviledges to make monopolistic bargaining agreements. Other organizations are not allowed to do that. If Unions are given no more government power than a corporation then it would be fine to let them close their books. But as long as the government has anti-scab legislation and respects "union rights" then they should have public books.

I know Conservatives and unions are supposed to be mortal enemies and all, however, suggesting that any private organization has to adhere to some kind of standard is not necessarily the best way to go about it. Obviously, accountability and transparency should be important to union members and they do have AGMs and the like where they can suggest these things.

But any steps taken to regulate the behaviour of unions and force them to be judged as if they were government entities moves them from the realm of the private and into the public as we saw happen with political parties with the new accountability measures in the past couple of parliaments. This is not ideal.

Unions are private organizations who should be accountable to their members but there is no reason for them to be accountable to anyone else.

Problem is that Unions are given special priviledges to make monopolistic bargaining agreements. Other organizations are not allowed to do that. If Unions are given no more government power than a corporation then it would be fine to let them close their books. But as long as the government has anti-scab legislation and respects "union rights" then they should have public books.

Peter, why is it assumed that the solution should be more regulation (ie. make Unions open their books), rather than less (take the power away from the unions)?

Personally, I feel that its the role of the membership of any organization to keep that organization accountable. Only when there is some overriding interest should the state become involved in the operations of private organizations.

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